The Fires of Hestia
by Mikkal
Summary: [DEAD DUE TO HoH RELEASE] Percy is trapped in Tartarus, right into the hands of Gaea like a gift, while Annabeth was the only one saved. The key to success lays in the powers of Percy, Hestia, and Leo. Wait, what? HoH AU. Percabeth.
1. PERCY

The Fires of Hestia

Mikkal

* * *

PERCY

* * *

'_YOU HAVE TO choose Perseus…'_

He glanced up at the darkness above him and then down at the blonde in his arms. Percy had promised that they were going to be together, that everything would be okay if they were just together. But the longer they stayed down here, the more sure he became that it wasn't going to end up like that.

Honestly, he thought that if he and Annabeth were in Tartarus together he could protect her from whatever harm came her way. That wasn't the case. There was something about this place, more than monsters or torture. It was slowly making their psyche crack and their bodies wither, more so for Annabeth considering her less-than-stellar state before they fell.

'_This offer will only be good for five more minutes. You or Annabeth?_'

"Annabeth," he murmured, quietly, not as an answer, but to wake the skin and bones girl in his arms. "Please wake up."

She murmured something and shifted, her features twisting into an expression of fear and pain. His heart broke at the sight. Percy sighed, she was going to hate him so much for this. But this was an offered he couldn't refuse. Plus, it gave Gaea less of a chance to 'spill their blood.'

"Annabeth," he repeated to the darkness above and surrounding him. "I choose Annabeth."

There was the breath of a sigh, a soft breeze that twirled around them. '_Are you sure? I don't…_"

He eyes burned with tears, but he didn't let them fall. "Please," he whispered. "You asked me to choose, and I did. Don't back out now."

'_As you wish_,' she said sadly. '_I'm sorry I can only take you. But you know I—."_

Percy shook his head. "I know, I know."

He gathered Annabeth a little tighter in his arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead, closing his eyes and ordering himself not to cry. He wasn't going to die down here; he still needed to get to the Doors of Death. But he didn't know how he would turn out in the end.

"I love you," he said quietly. "Take care, Wise Girl."

Her chilled body grew warm, glowing like a hot ember, before she started to wisp away like smoke from a fire.

It didn't take long for her to completely disappear. Percy stared at the place where she used to be, telling himself that this was best. She had already been injured before they fell, and the number of times they had been attacked and Percy had been too slow to protect her just cemented his decision. He couldn't protect down here, he was too weak.

'_I'm sorry, Percy…"_

Something warm touched his cheek, like the hand of a caring woman. He smiled and leaned into the touch.

"Don't be," he said. "Thank you for giving me the choice."

Gods could not come to Tartarus, it was dangerous and stupid. But even fire could be made down here, and if tended correctly could always create the warmth of a hearth. That was just the opening Hestia needed, with the blessing from Hades/Pluto she could extend her presence to the two demigods.

But she could only save one of them.

'_She will be returned to the Argo II_,' Hestia said, her voice faint. '_They are still on their way to the physical Doors of Death._' Something heavy was placed in Percy's hand. '_This will guide you. It's not perfect, but it's better than nothing_.'

"Thank you, Lady Hestia," he said with more respect than he would show any other god in his voice.

There was a soft chuckle. '_At this moment I am Vesta, but you may call me Hestia. I was never as divided as the other gods. I understand what the Romans did, and why. My duties were not changed as much. I am as sane as I can be at the moment_.'

Percy paused for a moment before saying, "Thank you, Lady Vesta."

'_So polite. Take care, Percy_.'

And then she was gone, leaving Percy all alone in the middle of Tartarus, probably not even a hundred feet from where they fell despite the fact that they'd been here for days—weeks?—months?. The Labyrinth changed time around them, there was a good chance Tartarus did the same. Which way? He didn't know for sure yet.

He stood up with a little difficulty, his knees cracking and his muscles throbbing. Percy winced and stretched, the wound on his side stinging as it opened a little. He ruffled a hand through his hair and looked down at the object in his hand.

It was a compass. Beautifully crafted with a strange combination of the shining Imperial Gold and the glowing Celestial Bronze. He grinned; of course he would get something that had an aspect of both sides.

The needlepoint whirled around in a circle at high speed, unable to decided which way to point until it finally did and pointed straight behind him. Percy glanced in that direction and saw nothing.

He turned around and the needlepoint turned with him, now facing directly ahead of him in the same direction as before. Percy shrugged, Hestia/Vesta was the most trustworthy of gods—at least, that he was aware of—she wouldn't steer him wrong, not like this.

Percy uncapped Riptide and started forward, keeping an eye out for any monsters. They were hard to kill back in the living (he was, basically, in a way, dead at the moment…technically), but imagine what it was like trying to kill them where they went when they died. It was a horrible nightmare on repeat, one of the reasons that Annabeth couldn't stay down here.

No matter how much it hurt to eat the words he promised.

He could hear the sound of rushing water, but there was no smell of it in the air and no taste of it on the tip of his tongue. The Pit was taunting him, making him yearn for his third most desired thing. The first was Annabeth. The second was his mother who—.

Percy's train of thought screeched to a halt.

His mother who he lasted talked to months ago before Hera got a hold of him and his memories. His mom, whose voice he hasn't hear since around the same time—unless you count Paul Blofis' voicemail where there was the faint sounds of his mom calling out to Percy in the background.

He swallowed a lump in his throat. Once he got out of here he was going to call his mom. He didn't care about the stupid cellphone monster attraction thing. His mom deserved to know, _from him_. Annabeth will probably tell her everything, but she would have to leave out why Percy couldn't talk to her.

"Sorry, Percy Jackson, Son of Poseidon and the Universe's favorite punching bag, can't come to the phone right now. He's lost his memory, just got it back, and is now in the Greek version of Hell being tormented by the Pit. Can I take a message?"

Percy shook himself and focused on everything but the sound of water and his own flowing thoughts. This was exactly what the Spirit of the Abyss wanted. For him to lose himself and basically offer up his soul to wander this place forever. He vaguely wondered if he could return to the living easier if he let himself go.

Okay, that was another thing he wasn't going to think of.

He looked down at the compass and stopped abruptly in a small panic.

The needlepoint was spinning again. Just going around and around in circles. Percy shut his eyes as he started to get dizzy. How long had it been spinning and had been just been walking mindlessly in the wrong direction?

Percy vaguely wondered where al the monsters were—especially now when he was so distracted, he was the perfect target meant to be captured and brought to the sleeping Gaea's feet. They had been attacking him an Annabeth then left when Hestia (or Vesta) appeared. Her warm presence must have scared them off.

Despite what some people liked to think, a goddess of the hearth could be just as scary as the Big Three…combined.

But she was gone now and yet there were no monsters still. Just that heavy feeling in the air of something beyond ancient and the sound of rushing water. Something was definitely wrong—add that spinning needlepoint and Percy's stomach was slowly sinking to his toes, filled with dread and, maybe, a little bit of fear.

This was definitely a bad thing.

'_Oh, Son of Poseidon, what makes you think that?_' A sleepy voice said, sounding louder than she would have on the surface.

He clenched Riptide tightly, holding it out defensively. Though what it could do against someone so ancient was a complete mystery. Probably nothing at all.

Well, he was totally screwed.

'_You've cost me some convenience, demigod_,' Gaea said, her voice so soothing and sleepy he could feel his shoulders start to sag and his eyes droop. '_I need two of each. I was looking forward for you and the Child of Athena at once, but no matter. I have you. Now, I just need the other.'_

Shadows began to rush him and Percy blacked out.


	2. LEO

The Fires of Hestia

Mikkal

* * *

LEO

* * *

"WHEN I SEE THAT STUPID Seaweed Brain again I'm going to make him wish he'd—Gah!"

Leo grinned nervously as Annabeth paced the deck, a slight limp in her steps and a few scraps still on her face and arms. She was alternating between grumbling under her breath (with a few growls mixed in) and shouting angrily at the air when she would rather be shouting at Percy.

She appeared out of nowhere on deck a few days ago, unconscious, bloody, and looking as if she'd gone a few rows with a god. Her cheeks had been sunken in, bags were under her eyes, and her eyes were dead, shattered—much like Nico. She couldn't answer how she got out, who got her out, if Percy got out too, or any other questions they asked her. Not even "are you okay?" because she wasn't. Every night she screamed and every second she would glance over her shoulder in a panic.

They knew nothing and could do nothing to but let her wallow in her nightmares and misery. Only Nico could comfort her in some way.

Until yesterday.

They had a well-tended fire in the dining room, one where they hung out during their rare slow nights and told stories while toasting marshmallows. The last time it had been used for something like that was right before Rome, but Leo still tended to it so it would bring them warmth during their meals.

Last night's meal was interrupted by a young woman stepping out of it, her eyes the color of glowing embers and her hair tied into a high ponytail. She was smiling gently, if not a little sadly.

Annabeth gasped and stood from her seat, whispering, "Lady Hestia," in a voice Leo never heard from her before.

The goddess turned her smile solely on her. "Vesta," she corrected. "Though there isn't much of a difference between my two aspects, unlike the others. I'm glad to see you whole and well, child."

"Did you get her out?" Jason demanded. Leo was surprised at that, usually Jason was painfully respectful to all gods, no matter how much they ticked him off, but something went funky when Annabeth and Percy fell and it just got worse when Annabeth was the only one who came back.

"Yes, I did," the goddess responded sagely. Her form flickered, like bad static, and her hair was suddenly flowing long and free, slightly frizzy like she'd been near heat for too long and she was a young child, then Vesta was back. Leo wasn't stupid; he knew that was Hestia for a second. "I was blessed by Pluto. Annabeth," she nodded towards the blonde, "created a fire, tended so warmly I was able to find it. But I only had the power to save one. Percy chose."

And that was, basically, how Annabeth became grumpier and, as a matter of fact, so did Jason. Apparently their friendship had grown a lot more than Leo thought.

Don't get him wrong or anything, Leo thought Percy was a pretty cool dude. But there was something…_off _about him. Percy was so powerful, yet he seemed so normal. Something was just seriously wrong about that. Jason was powerful, but he had this air about him that just screamed _DANGER! DANGER, WILL ROBINSON!_

Percy…Percy you thought was just some stupid sixteen year old until, suddenly, he wasn't.

He gave Leo the heebee-jeebees.

They were on their way to Greece and the Doors of Death in the House of Hades. What was with "the _ of the _" sometimes without the second "the?" The Mark of Athena, the Son/Daughter of whatever god. It was a little annoying.

"We'll find him, Annabeth," Piper assured. "Trust me. It's Percy Jackson. I couldn't go anywhere at camp without hearing his name, that's gotta say something right?"

"Oh, yeah. He's amazing!" She said sarcastically. Leo winced and ducked his head to hide his smile. He did not want the wrath of Annabeth turned on him. "That's why he's stuck in Tartarus!" She slumped against a pillar and rubbed her head. "Sorry, Piper," she mumbled.

Piper smiled encouragingly and pulled her into a hug. "Come on," she said. "Let's get some food. And Hazel. We'll have a girls' dinner."

Leo watched the two of them go below deck, feeling a little bad. He couldn't think of anything that would help, every time he cracked a joke he would get glared at (except Hazel, she would giggle a little, but now Leo wasn't sure if she was giggling at _him _or at _Sammy.)_

"We'll get him out," Frank said, he'd been quiet lately. Well, he wasn't exactly a talkative dude in the first place, but he was pretty close to Percy.

Was everyone close to Percy but Leo? Annabeth, she was dating him. Frank and Hazel went on that quest to Alaska—not to mention, Frank was related to him…distantly. Then Piper and Jason had that epic almost drowning/defeating two giants adventure. And Jason and Percy seemed better friends now, most of their competiveness going away with the epic adventure. Nico was his cousin and went through the first Titan war with him!

Leo…the only thing he did was bomb Camp Jupiter—the very camp that 3 out of seven/eight (At this point Leo felt that Nico was the seventh half-blood of the prophecy and Leo was just the pack mule who made awesome ships and ruined everything) of them came from. The camp that Percy fell in love with. (it was obvious).

"I don't know, Frank," Nico said. "I mean… It's _Tartarus_. Imagine me and Annabeth, but ten times worse because Percy's going to be there ten time as long. An entire month, almost two weeks without Annabeth. Time moves differently down there, it goes slower. two weeks for us is going to be at least two months for him…hopefully." He rubbed his wrist nervously. "He's not going to be the same Percy we know and love, even if he is the most powerful demigod of the century."

Jason scowled and dragged a hand over his face. "I'm going to bed," he announced."

"Dinner?" Frank asked. "You've barely been eating." Frank would know, Leo thought, he's been practically mother hen-ing them all since Annabeth came back.

"I'm not very hungry," was all Jason said before he disappeared below deck.

Soon Leo was left alone when Frank made his way down as well. Leo started moodily at the horizon. This was not what he expected when it came to the epic world-saving question he was told about months ago.

Okay, he was expecting it to be a little easier than this. He didn't expect to lose their friends, especially not like that.

Everyone tried to push out of their heads, but they knew…every time they killed a monster they were just giving Percy more things to fight and possibly die from.

"Valdez," Coach Hedge barked, coming up from where he'd hole himself in his cabin watching movies. He'd gotten a little nastier since Rome. "Go to bed," he ordered. "I'll keep an eye out."

Leo gave him a grateful smile, which the satyr winked at him for—weird—and scurried down the steps. It was quiet. The Mess Hall was quiet and each room—save for three, his, Percy's, and Coad Hedge's—had their doors shut. When both Annabeth and Percy were gone they never those two doors, it was weird now that Percy's was the only one open.

He grabbed some cookies and headed to his own room, shutting the door silently. Leo stuffed the last one in his mouth and crawled into bed, not even bothering to change. For all his luck something was going to attack and he did _not _want to get stuck fighting in his nightclothes.

Unfortunately, his dreams were strange—not entirely bad, but nothing something he wanted to dream ever again. Except…

* * *

He was standing in an empty room, except for a fire that burned in the middle. Hestia kneeled next to it—she was Hestia this time, not Vesta—and stoked the flames. She flashed a smile in his direction.

"Leo Valdez," she said, her voice warm. "I've been wanting to meet you. It's been a while since a Child of Hephaestus had the ability of fire."

He couldn't help but smile back. She reminded him of his mom, all warmth and family but with that hint of a warrior. Leo held out his hands and let flames dance along the tips of his fingers. "Why did you decide to risk saving Annabeth?" He asked. "I thought all gods were suppose to cut all contact?"

"We are," Hestia said. "But where there is a hearth I can not help but be there as well. Percy holds a special place in my heart." She grinned, almost a smirk. "I am still trying to convince his father to let me be one of his patrons. Trust me, it's a difficult position, almost everyone wants it."

Leo was at a lost for words. Percy had gods fighting over him? Really? That was...okay, not as weird as he thought.

"I should've known he would choose Annabeth," she said fondly.

"Why am I dreaming about you?" Leo asked. "I mean. The last time I talked to a god in my dreams was my dad. And then my dragon broke. So, yeah, bad experiences with these sort of things, ya know?"

She chuckled, making him feel a little pride at that. "I'm going to tell you a secret, Leo Valdez. A secret that you're not allow to tell anyone."

He swallowed and stepped a little closer to the hearth, waving his hand around it in lazy circles to create dancing figures. It took a lot of practice with a lighter and it was harder with this much, but he managed to get a few demigods to pop up and being fighting.

"Why me?" He asked.

Hestia watched his little show for a moment before saying, "Because you can save Percy."

Leo jerked back, the figures dying and his eyes widening. "I can _what?" _

_He _could save Percy?

She made the flames a little bigger, and little brighter. "What do you know of the Doors of Death?"

"That they're called the Doors of Death," Leo said. "And they're open."

Hestia hummed. "Tartarus is both a place and a being," she said. What did this have to do with Doors of Death? "Empty, yet full. You never know where you are, because there's nowhere to be. When you fall in, you fall for nine days. Just as if you were to fall from Olympus. Percy and Annabeth fell for nine days and were together, fighting, for three more before I was able to find them."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "What does this have to do with the Doors of Death?"

"Nico never found the Doors," she continued as if he hadn't spoken. "Gaea had her forces take him out before he could even try. Leo," she said seriously, catching his gaze and holding it. His throat began in burn in a not-very-pleasant way. "The Doors of Death are impossible to find from the Tartarus side."

He choked. "_What_? Then…then this is pointless! Percy's going to be stuck and everyone's going to be miserable and the Romans and Greeks are going to slaughter each other because _one of their leaders is missing!"_

And how weird was that? Percy missing meant that each camp was down a leader. Sure Camp Jupiter had Jason, but something told Leo it still wouldn't sit well with them.

"Poseidon created those Doors," Hestia said. Leo was startled yet again. Man, she kept dropping these bombs of information. He might need to sit down. "In the stories. Tartarus is a cage, with bronze circling it like an area. This is wrong, Tartarus is infinite. As big as anyone could imagine. It runs between the core and surface. The Doors, Poseidon created them from bronze. They are actual doors, that, if opened are a portal."

"Does this mean only Percy can close them from the inside?" Leo asked. He sunk to his knees, falling towards the fire a bit.

She nodded. "Anyone can touch the Doors from the mortal world and it will open on both sides. But a certain god, or demigod, must close them from the inside."

"That's a _terrible _standard of practice," Leo said, breathless. "Did they never think this would happen?"

Hestia looked at him sadly when she said, "We, gods, do not always think far ahead, so caught up in our own minds we forget many things. If we'd remember so many horrible things could've been prevented.

Leo ran a hand through his hair. "Then how can I save Percy if he's the one who needs to close the doors from the inside? He'll be trapped. And Nico can't do it."

"I gave him a gift," she said. "A very special compass that will led him to the Doors. A creation by Hephaestus, Hades, Zeus, and myself. Trust me, when the time comes, you will know what to do."

* * *

And then he was woken by the sounds of Annabeth screaming hysterically, shouting pleads and yelling threats.

Well, that was maddeningly unhelpful. Were all gods like that?

"_Percy!" _Annabeth screamed.

He winced. At this point, if she was yelling for Percy, no one could wake her up. They just had to watch her suffer with heavy hearts and grim faces.

Leo sat up and ran a hand through his hair before shuffling to the Mess Hall where the rest of the crew were already sitting somberly around the table. Each person's comfort food popped up and no one was eating.

He sighed and sat down. "So, what's the plan now?" They'd never really discussed it.

There was a long silence. Oh joy.


	3. JASON

The Fires of Hestia

Mikkal

* * *

JASON

* * *

JASON DIDN'T LIKE this plan. The plan involved them closing the Doors of Death at the same time Gaea was suppose to wake fully. It didn't sound like a very sound plan, and the fact that Annabeth was physically gone in her cabin and emotionally/mentally still with Percy and unable to voice her opinions about it just made him feel even more unsure of the plan.

They all felt like that, but they all knew that it was going to take an entire week and a few days to get to Epirus. Monsters kept attacking, the Argo II kept getting damaged, and supplies were low and rare that they had to go on mini quests to retrieve them. It was ridiculous and horrible and Jason really just wanted to scream into the sky.

Jason rubbed his cheek. The plan was made a week ago. (Stupid, terrible plan) And, so far, everything was going exactly how he'd expected. Annabeth was not getting better—in fact, she seemed to getting worse the longer Percy stayed in Tartarus by himself—Nico, though, was getting slightly more human-ish, he seemed to be taking the promise he made to Percy with a single laser like focus that was a little weird.

Leo was being awkward, well, more awkward than usual. He knew something, something important. Frank's temper—normally so even in the short time Jason's known him—was starting to get the best of him. Hazel spent most of her time speaking to Nico about something, most likely about the House. Piper…Piper was angry with him.

He could lie and say he didn't know why, but…yeah, that was a lie. He did know, and he felt bad for treating her this way.

So, he did what any good boyfriend would do. He made a picnic (with hos own two hands and no help from the cornucopia) and made everyone stay out of the stables. Jason wasn't dense, he knew how Piper thought, especially when it came to comparing him and her with Annabeth and Percy.

"Piper!" He said happily, not having to force it around her. "I have something for you."

She raised an eyebrow. Okay, this was unexpected. He knew that. Jason was all Roman, overt displays of emotions were a sign of weakness and tended to put chinks in a legion, but they needed something _nice _for once. All of them did, but doing something nice for Piper was the only thing he could think of at the moment.

"Okay," she said slowly, but she was smiling a little. "What is it?"

"It's a surprise," he said. "I figured we could have thirty minutes to ourselves." Thirty minutes, no quest anxiety, no monsters. Thirty minutes was all he was asking for. Perhaps Venus, the rule breaking love goddess, would grant him that to properly treat her daughter. (No, wait, Aphrodite, he kept forgetting.)

She smiled prettily and took his offered hand to let herself be led to the stables where he had a blanket laid out on the glass bay doors and a hand made lunch ready.

"Jason!" She said, her voice a little strangled. "Oh my gods." She laughed. "This is amazing!"

He grinned at her reaction, his smile getting wider when she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Let's eat."

* * *

"I'm telling you, Clarisse," Jason growled. "We can't get there any faster."

The Daughter of Ares glared at him, her lips curling into a snarl. "If Prissy dies because you're too much of a slow-poke, I'm coming after _you."_

"There are_ monsters _attacking us every couple of minutes," he snapped. "They keep breaking the ship and, as good as Leo is, even he can't make this thing run with half a engine missing."

Jason glared at Clarisse and Clarisse glared at Jason. The leaders from all the cabins were standing in a group, watching them verbally battle it out. The crew of the Argo II did that same from their end.

Clarisse relented, much to his surprise. "This is part of the prophecy, isn't it?" She directed that question to Annabeth. "Right?"

The Daughter of Athena stepped forward, hugging herself, her hair a tangled mess of a ponytail, and dark shadows under her eyes. "I think so, yes," she said, her voice hoarse. "'_An oath to keep with a final breath.' _He…he promised me." Her voice broke. "He promised me I was never getting away from him ever again. We were going to stay together. He _has_ to come back. _I just got him back_," she mumbled quietly.

Clarisse made a noise at the back of her throat, sounding sympathetic and sad. Jason was a bit startled to realize that maybe she wasn't as bad as he thought. He honestly hadn't spent much time with the other campers; he'd been too busy helping Leo with the Argo II, but Clarisse.

She'd been there for the second Titan war. She fought side-by-side with Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, with all of the demigods who'd lost their lives during that time.

Silena.

Beckendorf.

Luke.

All of those demigods.

Just because Clarisse was so antagonist all the time didn't mean she actually didn't care. Chris was proof of that. And the way her eyes were a little red told Jason that Clarisse was seriously worried about Percy, but she was trying to cover it up.

"Nothing's gonna happen to Prissy," Clarisse said confidently. "I mean, it's Percy we're talking about here. He's the most likely to be told he's gonna die and the least likely to go through with it," she pointed out, taking a break from using her well-loved nicknames.

"Even so," Chiron said, coming into view. "I do believe you should at least try tor reach Epirus a little sooner. There are many things in Tartarus that I doubt the most powerful gods could handle."

There wasn't even any thunder from Jupiter at the line, which just worried Jason. That meant that Jupiter could not deny that fact he couldn't handle Tartarus. Not being able to deny it made it ten time worse since Jupiter would deny anything.

"I'll try," Leo said, he was bouncing on the balls of his feet and fiddling with something. The tips of his fingers were a little bloody. In his rush and state of distraction he hadn't been paying attention to many things, including safety. "In fact, I'll go do that right now!" He hopped away, muttering under his breath.

"Does Sally and Paul know?" Chiron asked.

Jason vaguely wondered who they were as Annabeth shook her head and said, "No. No, they don't. We decided…I didn't want them to worry too much." Annabeth looked at her feet and wiggled her toes. "Sally worried enough when Percy was gone. He barely got a chance to talk to her before we were out of range."

Oh. Oohh. Jason winced. Sally and Paul, Percy's parents. He remembered that now. Gods, he was stupid.

Suddenly, the Argo II rocked and something went _BOOM! _

The Iris Message scattered by itself as the rainbow source, a little hose set up for this exact duty, disappeared.

"What was that?" Frank exclaimed.

Piper pulled out her dagger and Hazel grabbed her_ spatha_.

"I don't know," Nico said. "But probably not something good."


	4. PIPER

Note: Sooo, I was originally going to just have an eight chapter story, a chapter dedicated to each demigod on the Argo II. It looks like that's not going to happen. Piper is going to get two chapters. Annabeth might get two. So that means Percy, Jason, and Leo will get two more later in the story. I noticed a big plothole, but I'm going to fix that.

Thank you to all of you who have reviewed, favourited, and alerted this story! Blue candy to all of you!

* * *

The Fires of Hestia

Mikkal

* * *

PIPER

* * *

FOUR DAYS SINCE THEIR talk with Camp Half-Blood and sixteen monster attacks in the same amount of time.

They were getting them non-stop and they were all at the end of their rope. Jason sent lightning down on the last gryphon (Where in Hades do these things keep coming from? They were like flies, except even more annoying.). Leo and Annabeth were struggling with the Argo II, trying to keep the ship together. Nico was leaning against his black sword, breathing heavily. Frank was checking up on Hazel (which was very adorable), Hazel kept blushing. Piper sighed and sheathed _Katoptris. _

They had just five days to reach the House of Hades. They made it to Greece that morning and now they just needed to get to Epirus. Jason was seriously hoping they got there and to Percy at least they day before Gaea's fated awakening.

So, four days really.

Piper ran a hand through her hair. She had started letting it grow out since her first quest with Leo and Jason, but she kind of missed the choppy locks. They were _her _rebellion. But there was no time on the Argo II to maintain it, especially since Percy and Annabeth's fall.

Jason came over, his hair standing on end slightly and his face dirty. She grinned and wiped his cheek, succeeding in only smearing the soot.

"You okay?" He asked, looking over her. He touched her slightly bloody elbow from when she was dodging talons and ran into a mast. "You want too grab some nectar?"

She shook her head. "Let it heal on its own. If it was serious, sure. But we're running low and we might need it for—." She cut herself off, not wanting to finish that sentence out loud. She was going to say _we might need it for Percy. _

But Annabeth was looking straight at her, and Piper would honestly rather let the implication stand instead of voicing their fears out loud.

What if Percy was too injured to save?

Or already dead?

Nope. Not thinking that. This was Percy Jackson, for gods' sakes. This was the demigod you couldn't go five minutes without hearing his name. He defeated Kronos, turned down immortality. This was the teenager who managed to become one of the leaders of Camp Jupiter in about a week. This was the guy who was dating Annabeth!

"Okay!" Leo exclaimed. "We're good. We're awesome. Nothing's going to collapse or fall off or explode…I think…for a good long while. We should make it to Epirus without losing anything important. Just, when we get attacked again, try to keep the damage to a minimum. I don't think we can risk a mini-quest for supplies."

"Jason," Annabeth said, her voice stronger than it had been in a long while. "You've got first shift." It was ten at night already, gods she was tired. "I'm sorry, but you've got the most expansive power out of all of us so you have a better chance if those gryphons come back. We can get some sleep and relieve you."

Jason waved a hand as if to shoo her apology away. "Four hours," he said.

Frank frowned. "That normal is two," he protested.

"And I don't care," Jason replied firmly. "Who ever is going after me has four hours." He hardened his gaze, looking so Roman for a moment Piper had a hard time catching her breath—both in fear and because he was just so _handsome. _

Frank sighed. "_Fine_," he grumbled. "I'll go after then."

Piper quickly took the slot for the next shift after Frank. Annabeth got the last one, but not by choice. It was by mutual agreement among the six (plus Coach Hedge, so seven) that Annabeth was going to get as much forced downtime as possible in the off chance that she would fall asleep. Not that it mattered, she got nightmares every time and she always kept herself busy even though she didn't need to be.

The Daughter of Athena looked _terrible _and it broke Piper's heart to see her like that. This was worse than when Percy was at Camp Jupiter, way worse. One hundred times worse!

Piper lingered for a little bit, keeping Jason company. They chatted and kissed a little before her yawning started to get in the way.

He grinned and nudged her gently, telling her to grab some sleep before it was too late.

She headed below deck, passing the closed doors of Hazel, Frank, and Coach Hedge (though she did hear muffled yelling coming from the satyr's room). Leo was still messing with Archimedes' Sphere, trying to find all of its secrets. Something was up with him; he was fidgety (more so than usual) and strangely quiet.

Piper went past her room to peek in the dining room. Camp Half-Blood was looking beautiful, but Annabeth was the picture of misery as she sat in one of the chairs (not the head chair that had been dubbed officially hers), hunched over her laptop. Nico was sitting next to her, body turned towards her, but his chin propped on his hand. He was whispering something to, a rare smile cracking across his face.

Annabeth let out a snort and had to grin at whatever Nico said. She shook her head, muttering "Seaweed Brain," under her breath.

Piper gave a small smile and backed away. If they were able to tell happy stories about Percy to each other without one of them bursting into tears (though she'd never seen Nico cry before), then they were hopefully going to be okay.

In her room, Piper changed into loose pants and a tank top, breathing a sigh of relief. She could finally relax; her guard shift wasn't for another eight hours. She collapsed onto her bed, leaning back agains the wall to stare at the ceiling.

There was something she'd be struggling with for a few days now. No one had brought it up, but today—fighting the gryphons—made her remember. Piper couldn't decide if she should even try…or if it would even work. Percy was in Tartarus for gods' sake!

But she pulled out _Katoptris_ and stared at her reflection—for once not wishing to not see anything, though dreading what she might see.

It didn't work for a long moment. Her dagger wasn't showing her anything for once, and she didn't know if she should be grateful her nightmares were spared or if she should be horrified.

And then it did work.

She wished it hadn't.

It was Percy, curled up in shadows, hand around the hilt of Riptide and and hand in his hair. He was bloody and bruised, but she couldn't see any fatal wounds. What made her heartache, though, was the fact that he was staring off into the distance at nothing, his eyes blank and unseeing. He was saying something, the same words over and over again.

Piper stared at the little clip of Percy's own nightmare, trying to figure out what he was saying. Was he saying Annabeth's name? Whispering, "help me?" Or muttering insults are Gaea and her terrible personality?

It took a minute, but Piper finally got it.

_It's a trap._

He was saying over and over again: "_It's a trap. It's a trap. It's a trap. It's a trap_."


	5. PIPER II

I'm going to apologize in advance for this chapter. I sincerely don't know what happened. Um. Everyone's not going to get the same amount of chapters. If that happened then the story would go on for way longer than I wanted. I may eventually combine Piper's chapter. Yeah. Sorry. I'll decide that once I finish the next chapter.

* * *

The Fires of Hestia

Mikkal

* * *

PIPER

* * *

"Of course it's a trap!" Annabeth burst out.

Piper had woken everyone up after the scene in _Katoptris _ended and they all convened up on the top deck.

"When is it ever not a trap?" Annabeth said. She covered her face for a moment before rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Okay, explain it one more time please."

So Piper did. There wasn't much new to the story. She carefully watched Annabeth's face get angrier and angrier. At Gaea? At _Katoptris_? At Percy? Who knew, but it was common knowledge once Annabeth got angry it was best not to stand in her way.

"Of course it's a trap," Annabeth repeated. "I wouldn't expect less. We were in Tartarus for too long without Gaea's forces coming after us. We just so happen to get delayed often enough to extend our trip to a whole month. But Gaea can't rise without the blood of two demigods. That's why she was so happy about me and Percy falling into Tartarus. So why was she delaying us this long?"

Now that her brain was going a mile a minute Annabeth didn't struggle to speak about Tartarus. It was never a strong struggle, but she hesitated a lot and trailed off, caught in her memories. Now, though, it was smooth and sure.

Piper always envied Annabeth's strength. There was just something about her. In fact, there was something about all the kids at Camp Half-Blood. The older ones, the ones who'd gone through quests and wars.

"She has Percy," Jason said. "How did he know to be saying that it was a trap?"

Nico shook his head. "He knows Piper has _Katoptris_," he said. "So he would keep in mind that _someone _would be looking for him. My question is how could _Katoptris _even see into Tartarus? I didn't think that was possible."

"Maybe it's something Gaea wants us to see," Hazel said quietly. "But that would mean she knows Percy told us it's a trap so she making a…double trap?" She frowned in confusion, not sure that was the proper term. Piper didn't know and no one jumped up to say the right one.

"There's going to be a giant there," Annabeth said. "I don't know which one, but there's going to be a giant at Epirus."

"And we don't have any gods handy to defeat him," Frank muttered, crossing his arms and his eyebrows furrowing. "This is just perfect."

They all sat in silence for a good long while.

"A giant and no god," Nico said quietly, repeating what Annabeth and Frank said. He seemed to want it to stick in their minds, weigh them down with the knowledge they were helpless. "The Athena Pantheons has power, but not the power of a goddess. We have the worst luck _ever_."

Piper forgot about that stupid statue. People said that Athena was the wisdom goddess, you would think she would know that an entrance to Tartarus was right underneath her arch enemy and think to _tell at least her child about it _before sending her off on a dangerous quest.

She was not happy with a lot of gods at the moment, and that worried her.

After shoving it into the bay of the Argo II it magically shrunk a little so it wasn't taking up as much room or off-setting the balance of the ship too much—something Leo was very grateful for. If Piper ignored it enough, she could almost forget it was even there (especially during certain picnics with sons of Jupiter), but it gave her the heebee-jeebees.

Annabeth buried her face in her hands, leaning forward to rest her head and hands on the table. Her shoulders were still and she was silent, but she was seconds away to going on a roaring rampage. Hopefully not a self-destructive one.

Leo was quiet, rocking back in his chair to prop it up on its back legs. "Okay," he said. "Run down. One, we are reaching the Doors of Death the same day that Gaea is supposed to rise. Two, she needs the blood of two demigods on the base of the original Olympus to even rise. Three, getting Percy could be a trap. Four, there's going to be a giant and we have no god to help. Did I get all of it?"

"Gods, Leo," Piper groaned. "Just what we needed. A list blaring how useless we are."

Leo frowned. "I didn't say we were useless. We're the Heroes of Olympus. We've got Jason, Annabeth and, Nico on our side—three of the greatest demigods of our generation—we'll figure out _something. _Don't be a Negative Nancy."

Frank slammed his hands on the table, knocking over a few glasses and his own chair as he stood up abruptly. "Shut up, Leo!" He shouted. "The world is doomed, Percy's in deep trouble, and we don't need your _stupid_ jokes at a time like this!"

Everyone was shocked into silence. Yes, Frank's temper had been getting shorter, but they weren't expecting him to burst out like that.

"Frank," Piper said soothingly, putting a little power into the words. "Calm down. Leo was just trying to help a little."

Frank struggled for a minute before her power overcame his temper and he sat down with a sigh, running his hand through his short hair. Hazel grabbed his hand and squeezed it in a comforting manner.

"Sorry, Leo," he muttered.

Leo waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it, _mi amigo_." He fiddled with something he'd pulled from his tool belt. "What are the chances Percy will escape Gaea and still meet us at the Doors?" He seemed overly nervous today.

"Considering it's Percy," Jason said. "Very high."

"I think we'll get there the day before Gaea is suppose to rise," Leo said. "No, not think. I know this for sure. The ship is pretty confident and I rigged some things so it'll be harder for monsters to get us. I would've done it earlier, but it's connected to the Archimedes Sphere, I had to figure it out."

"It's okay, Leo," Annabeth said. "At least we have it now. Coach Hedge is probably really excited to try them out."

"We need a plan," Hazel said. "A good one. We can't risk anything."

Leo made a noise at the back of his throat. Piper glanced over at him to see him staring at the thing he had been fiddling with since their little meeting started. It was half an inch thick and round, it was gold and bronze and there were designs on the bottom that made Piper think of the Milky Way.

"I think we have a god," Leo said slowly. "I don't know why I didn't think of this before. We have Hestia-slash-Vesta. She could help us."

Annabeth face-palmed. "Gods, I'm so slow. Of course!"

"Um, not to be a downer or anything," Frank said slowly. "But what can a goddess of the hearth do against a giant?"

Nico smirked. "You're talking about the Last Olympian, Frank. You'd be surprised."


End file.
